Vance County commissioners considering restructuring fire department, eliminating part-time positions

Vance County commissioners will consider the annual budget during a special meeting Wednesday.

Included in that budget proposal is a plan to restructure the Vance County Fire Department.

It would put a hiring freeze in place for the four currently vacant positions and eliminate all but one of the fire department’s part-time staff.

“The current staff that’s on county payroll would stay in position, but we would have to go out and recruit for volunteer members,” Fire Chief Chris Wright said.

Wright said he currently has 22 firefighters on staff. If the proposal gets passed, nine of his part-timers would be let go.

Commission Vice Chair Dan Brummitt said he’s looking to put more funding towards two rural fire departments: Bear Pond and Hicksboro.

"It is important that we look at the whole county and how lots of citizens will benefit from these changes," Brummitt said.

"The Vance County Fire Department as an organization remains the same. We are adding volunteers to the existing paid staff to give additional support to the district,” Brummitt said.

Those additional part-timers would be paid $15 an hour. Chief Wright said finding volunteers who are both qualified and willing is difficult.

“They need to have a certain level of training,” Wright said.

Several of the nearby fire departments wrote letters to the commission when the proposal was initially brought to the council, voicing opposition. According to Vance County committee reports, Townsville and Vance County Rescue Squad representatives advocated for reorganization while acknowledging similar personnel concerns.

In an email, Bear Pond Fire Chief William Jenkins said:

“Vance County Fire Department is a much-needed asset to the entire county. They are available with paid staff 24/7 365 days out of the year. When we have a call in the Bear Pond district, they come as mutual aid to assist us. Sometimes Volunteer departments don’t have the members available to answer calls its just the hard truth of the volunteer fire services these days. With that being said, we rely on the county fire department to help us out. What the public safety committee has proposed has so many unanswered questions in it and it has not been a thought out process. With that being said we here at Bear Pond Fire Department want what is best for the citizens of our community and what’s best for the citizens of the county. At the end of the day, it's not about politics or money. It's all about being there to save a life or property.”

District 7 commissioner Tommy Hester said this is the third time the issue of restructuring has come up.

“Why do you want to take something that’s worked for 50 years and do away with it?” Hester questioned.

He said having a full-time, paid staff is a more guaranteed route.

“Do you want a full-time fire department that goes all over this county? Or do you want all volunteers?”

The proposal also includes $25,000 to hire a consultant to help with the implementation of the plan if it gets passed.

“There is money that is being proposed to hire consultants, because right now, we’re dealing with more of a concept than a plan,” said interim county manager D. Scott Elliott.

Elliott said the budget must be done by June 30.